iShares MSCI South Africa ETF
$64.32+0.55 (+0.86%)
- 0.59%
- $467M
- +8.5%
- 7.91%
- 0.2M sh
- $63.93
- low $60.27high $81.76
The ETF.net EZA Grade
B
Score 59 out of 100
- 5 of 22
Score 59 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.C50 out of 100Rank 7 of 22Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B69 out of 100Rank 3 of 22Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.D34 out of 100Rank 18 of 22Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A78 out of 100Rank 4 of 22Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A72 out of 100Rank 4 of 20Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A71 out of 100Rank 6 of 22
Our read on EZA
BSince 2003, the plain US-listed way to own the Johannesburg market: about 27 large and mid-cap South African stocks, with index caps keeping any one corporate group from taking over the portfolio.
The fund seeks to track an index made up of South African equities.
Why people hold it
- Listed since 2003, it is the long-running US-listed pure play on South African equities: one ticker instead of a pile of Johannesburg listings and ADRs.ishares.com
- The 25/50 index rules cap any single company group at 25% of the index and hold all 5%-plus groups to 50% combined, so no one Johannesburg giant can swallow the fund.msci.commsci.com
- The index targets the large and mid-cap core of the market, roughly 85% of South Africa's free-float value. You get the country's benchmark, not a stock picker's guess.msci.com
- At 0.59% the fee sits right at the median for single-country emerging-market ETFs, and the fund stands among the stronger implementations in that group.
Worth knowing
- Around 27 holdings, with miners and financials doing most of the work. Concentration is the whole point of a single-country fund, and it cuts both ways.ishares.com
- The stocks trade in rand, the fund reports in dollars. Currency moves ride along with the share prices, in both directions.ishares.com
- 0.59% is normal for a single-country fund but well above broad emerging-market index funds, and cash comes back once or twice a year, not quarterly.
EZA Holdings
- Stocks
- 31
- 63%
- ANG.JO
Sectors
- Materials38.4%
- Financials34.3%
- Consumer Discretionary13.1%
- Communication6.7%
- Consumer Staples2.9%
- Real Estate1.8%
- Industrials1.6%
- Health Care1.2%
Geography
- South Africa84.21%
- United States12.63%
- Netherlands1.80%
- Luxembourg1.35%
Developed 4% · Emerging 96%
EZA Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
EZA$10,850
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | EZA |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −5.3% |
| 1 month | −9.0% |
| 3 months | −0.1% |
| 1 year | +8.5% |
| 3 years | +25.2% |
| 5 years | +10.7% |
| 10 years | +7.7% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | EZA |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −5.3% | |
| 2025 | +75.2% | |
| 2024 | +7.3% | |
| 2023 | +1.5% | |
| 2022 | −5.1% | |
| 2021 | +7.9% | |
| 2020 | −5.2% |
EZA in the news
EZA Dividends
- 7.91%
- $5.05
- $1.43 per share
- Twice a year
Distribution history
EZA Risk
- 22.0%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 0.97
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −34.9%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.12
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
EZA Cost
0.59%
EZA0.59%
- The middle half of Emerging Markets Single Country funds
- Median 0.59%
6 of the 21 Emerging Markets Single Country funds charge less.
Other funds in Emerging Markets Single Country
- BEWMiShares MSCI Malaysia ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +9.7%
- BECHiShares MSCI Chile ETFExpense ratio 0.59%1 year return +22.2%
- CUAEiShares MSCI UAE ETFExpense ratio 0.59%1 year return +6.1%
- CEPUiShares MSCI Peru and Global Exposure ETFExpense ratio 0.59%1 year return +51.9%
- CTHDiShares MSCI Thailand ETFExpense ratio 0.59%1 year return +27.2%